Cupid in Training
by xXxRedGypsyxXx
Summary: Short Story: Kyoko is a young cupid who hopes to earn her wings. Her task is to find high school student, Naruto Uzumaki, a love before the end of Valentine's day which is a lot harder than she initially thought it would be. Hopefully, her trusty mentor Neji will be able to help her out before it is to late.
1. Chapter 1

**_[A/N]: _**I wrote this for a Valentine's Day contest on Quizilla that I won 2nd in. So, I decided to post it here. I broke it up into 3 chapters + an extra. I hope you enjoy it. x)

If so, share the love or constructive criticism~

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**_Part One:_**

_"Kyoko, if you truly want to earn your wings, you must not fail this task…again," The Grandmaster Cupid explained as he handed the scroll to a young girl, who was dressed in deep red jeans and a tight, white wife-beater with a red heart around the chest area. She had a bow and heart shaped arrows strapped to her back. Her manner of appearance was no different from the rest of the cupids; accept she had yet to earn her wings. So, while the others hovered around her, she remained constrained to the fluffy, yet solid, surrounding of the Cloud Heavens. _

_"Yes, Grandmaster C, I will not fail," She pumped a fist in the air. "I will help Naruto Uzumaki find love this Valentine's day!"_

"Now, I just have to find him," Kyoko sighed. Her initial determination for this quest was starting to wane. She was stuck in a sea of high school students. Most of them had blond hair and blue eyes, but she still saw no whiskers.

"Dumb jerk wasn't in none of his morning classes. How can I help him find true love when he wants to run around and be a little delinquent?" She muttered to herself. She looked over the reconnaissance info she had been given. It documented pretty much everything she needed to find the guy. After that, finding the right chick for him would take simple deducing and a flying arrow.

Kyoko continued a bit down the hall. She was surprised to see a flurry of students forming a ring around another pair of students. The sound of sneakers scuffing, lockers banging, heavy insults, and cheering students made her deduce that they must be fighting.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun, kick his ass!" A cheerleader with a high, blonde, pony tail yelled excitedly.

"_Sigh_…why does Naruto always have to cause trouble?" The spikey haired boy next to her stuck his hands on his pockets and shook his head. He began to walk away while Kyoko's ears perked up. She had her target. Now what? She wasn't going to break up a fight, but she couldn't exactly help him with his romantic life while he was getting his ass kicked or kicking ass. She couldn't tell from her current position.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Kyoko jumped at the authoritative voice that had sent the other students scattering like flies. This left Naruto and the one called Sasuke out in the open as an older woman, with a very impressive chest, stomped over to them. Sasuke, who had Naruto in a head lock, rolled his eyes. Naruto took the free chance to elbow him in the stomach. Sasuke let out a low grunt and released Naruto. Naruto seemed to take the low blow as a sign of victory. He stood up straight and placed his hands behind his head in contempt.

"Hey, Baa-chan, how you doing?" Naruto played off the situation while Sasuke glared at him from behind.

"I'm so sick of having to keep you two from each other's throats," "Baa-chan" ignored Naruto's friendly chatter. "You two can't keep causing disruptions in this school. I want you back here after school to receive your punishment…together. No exceptions this time."

"But, Tsunade-sama-" Sasuke tried to reason with her.

"No buts, Sasuke! If you cause one more disruption, I'll give you much more than a simple detention and you know your parents wouldn't want that. Now, get to class!" She finished. The two boys glared at each other one more time before nodding in a temporary truce. Sasuke walked past Tsunade and Naruto only went a few doors down to get to his class. Kyoko paid close attention to this. Until, Tsunade set her sights on her. The anger still evident in her eyes.

"And, you too!" She told Kyoko.

"Y-yes ma'am," Kyoko stuttered embarrassedly as she and Tsunade went their separate ways. When the coast was clear, Kyoko returned to her previous spot. She pulled her bow and arrows out of her bag to make sure they were prep for what was about to come. She had just tightened her strings a bit when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The surprise scared her and she dropped the bow and arrow she had been holding. The small thump it made on the floor sounded like thunder to her. She turned around to meet another blonde male. It seemed like so many to Kyoko. This one had blue eyes as well and kept his hair in a half ponytail while the rest flowed towards the back with a one long bang hanging over his eye.

"Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before," He questioned her in a very suspicious manner.

"Uh…I'm Kyoko. I'm…a new student? I mean…yes, I am a new student and you might be?" [Name] fumbled with her words. She had forgotten to think up an alias for herself and she didn't like the accusing look in his eye.

"I'm the Hall Monitor, Deidara, un," He looked down at the arrow Kyoko had dropped. "Are you on the archery team?" He picked the arrow and looked it over curiously. His fingers reaching for the heart shape tip. "These are really weird arrows, yeah…"

"Wait, don't touch that!" Kyoko's arms flailed around as she tried to get the nosy hall monitor to leave the arrow alone, but it was too late. He had already touched the tip. A light sheen of pink sparkles surged over him and his pupils took the odd shape of a heart. Kyoko jumped to cover his eyes to keep him from taking notice of anyone around here. Just one glance and he would be smitten with the next human he saw; man or woman.

Deidara went to try to remove Kyoko's hand, but she held on tight. They continued to struggle when Kyoko lost her footing. She fell forward. The force of her weight sent Deidara back flying into the nearby lockers; his head causing the lockers to make a loud clanging sound. He was down for the count. Kyoko flittered around; panicking. She hoped she hadn't killed the guy.

"Well, there's no blood and he has a pulse…" She nibbled her bottom lip nervously and looked up and down the hallway. "And, still no witnesses…"

She looked across the hall and noticed a janitor's closet with a sign saying "Out on business today." She had no idea what a janitor would be doing out on business, but it gave her a lucky save when the door turned out to be unlock. She used all her strength, which wasn't much, to drag her victim to the closet. She shut the door behind her.

"I'll just have to come back for him. I have to get Naruto a love before school is out," Kyoko racked her brains for ideas before reaching into her knapsack. She pulled out a heart shape glassed bottle with little white wings around the nozzle. It had a colorless liquid in it. Cupid's Glamour. It was a potion that would turn her invisible to the human eye for 24 hours. Since, she couldn't tap into her own powers until she received her wings. She down the drink and let its tingly effects whisk her away.

Kyoko fazed through the wall of the room Naruto had been in. It was in utter chaos as the students pretty much did whatever they wanted. The spikey haired boy from before was asleep in the corner. The cheerleader was drawing a black eye around on his left eye with a sharpie while a larger male ate chips and watched in interest. She saw a few other kids gambling with playing cards or fiddling with various electronics. There was even a game of catch going on in the back of the class. The worse one was the masked teacher who was deep in a smut novel. Kyoko sweat dropped at the pure look of bliss on his face.

"That's really messed up…" She sighed and went to stand closer to Naruto and an oddly pinked-haired girl with green eyes. Naruto was speaking wildly while the girl took it in stride. She must be used to it.

"So, you see? It wasn't my fault. He started it all," Naruto referred back to the earlier fight.

"I just wish you two wouldn't fight so much. You're not little kids anymore," She scolded him and Kyoko saw Naruto mutter something about Sasuke under his breath that she couldn't catch.

"Anyway, so Sakura, I was thinking since you don't have a date and I don't have a date this Valentine's, we could go on a date together," Naruto grinned like a Cheshire cat at his clever calculating.

"What you don't think I can get a date?" Sakura huffed in a fiery as Naruto tried to remedy the situation.

"It's not that. I just thought we could hang out as friends. Nobody wants to be alone on Valentine's Day," Naruto replied coolly, like it wasn't a big deal.

Kyoko hopped from foot to foot excitedly, reaching for her bow and an arrow. She had learned in Dating 101 that people would downplay asking someone out to be cool, just in case they were rejected. Obviously, that's what Naruto was doing or so it seemed. It didn't matter to Kyoko because this was the chance to gain her wings. She set up an arrow and begin to pull.

**Execution in:**

_Three…_

"Actually, I'm going a date with Lee," She smiled tenderly. Naruto on the other hand was in shock and awe.

"Bushy Brows…but why?"

_Two…_

"I see that Sasuke and I don't have a chance together. I'm starting to feel a little silly chasing him around and not getting anywhere," Sakura sighed solemnly over the fact. "Plus, Lee and I have been hanging out a lot lately and he's a good guy deep down. So, maybe I just want to try something new."

Naruto nodded, trying to make sense of the situation while Sakura continued.

_One…_

"And, who knows, I might actually love him,"

_Execution Halted._


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the second part. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to leave a little love if you like the series~

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**_Part Two_**

Kyoko lowered her arrow. She couldn't fight against the girl's words; even if it was over her wings. Her cupid senses tingled with how truthful they were. If Sakura actually had a chance at love with this Bushy Brows fellow, Kyoko wasn't going to stop it. She put her arrow down in defeat. Now what? She could go bang her head on that nearby desk…

"N-Naruto-kun,"

Kyoko spiritual body fluttered slightly when a pale faced girl with long bluish hair walked right through her. She had a small blush on her cheeks and clutched a basket with small treats in it.

"Oh hey, Hinata," Naruto greeted her, the smile on his face never faltering.

"I still haven't given you your Valentine's yet," She said in a soft voice before she turned her gaze to Sakura. "And, you to Sakura-chan. I made them for the whole class."

She handed a treat to both Naruto and Sakura, who thanked her with a smile. They talked about mundane school topics that Kyoko ignored. She was busy dealing with the light bulb that popped over her head.

"She stuttered when she spoke to him," She said loudly; knowing they wouldn't be able to hear her in this form. "She must like him a lot. Cupid Handbook states that's a clear sign of a crush. I'm saved!" She twirled in triumph, the sound of the bell breaking her out of her celebration.

"No, my meal ticket!" Kyoko exclaimed as she watched the students walk out of the classroom. She dashed after them. Pulling out another arrow, she fazed through the crowd of teen bodies. Once she had a clear shot at Naruto looking at Hinata, she took it. She may have failed a few classes on theory, but the physical aspect of being a cupid was her best trait. Her aim was flawless. She wasn't, however, expecting a body to come barreling out a door in the direction of her target; knocking him back and pushing Hinata towards the arrow.

A feeling as cold as ice washed over Kyoko as she watched the scene with pure desolation in her eyes. Deidara, who she had conspicuously placed in the Janitor's closet, had landed on the crew and wrecked her chances. The same pink sparkles flashed over Hinata and her gaze turned into hearts. She looked down at Deidara on the floor and he looked up at her; the magic surging between them.

"I'm doomed!" Kyoko grabbed at her hair. She yanked at it, wishing the magic tresses would break. While she thrashed around, Deidara and Hinata had been wrapped up in a new world forming between them. On lookers watched in confusion. Deidara had uncharacteristically gotten down on one knee to declare his undying affections to Hinata. She smiled shyly at him; her cheeks flaming red. She placed a hand in his and they shared a heartwarming first kiss that singed the surrounding area. The crowd of students started clapping at the heart felt moment of Deidara picking up Hinata to carry her off. The sea of kids split for them and someone's ringtone of "Up Where We Belong," song by Jennifer Warnes and Joe Crocker, started playing in the background.

"Why!? Why!? Why!?" Kyoko sighed over and over again. Then, she stopped her worrying and straightened herself out. "Okay, time to call in the big guns!"

She dug her cell phone out of her pocket to dial a number. It rung multiple times; until, she heard a click and she was sent straight to voice mail. Kyoko scowled. "He's ignoring my calls!"

She tried again and again…and a few more times just to be annoying. Finally, someone answered the phone.

"What do you want now?" The male's haughty voice ringing in Kyoko's ears.

"Oh, hi Neji, and how are you on this beautiful day of St. Valentine's?"

"Busy," was the curt answer she received. Kyoko's lips tightened into a grimace. He was grumpy as always.

"Look, I need your help. I'm having a hard time with the new mission,"

"Kyoko, I can't just fly down there and bail you out. You're going to be on your own more in the future. How would it look if I had to assist you at every turn?"

"Okay, okay! But, think about this: how would it reflect on a teacher whose student has failed the graduation exam going on five times now?"

She received no immediate reply. She just heard an exasperated sigh on the other end.

"I'll be there in a moment," Neji told her before hanging up.

It didn't take long for the strange vortex to open up in the middle of the hallway. The people around wouldn't notice it. Neji was higher ranking then Kyoko, his glamour could do a lot more than hers could. He landed gracefully with his wings disappearing to keep from taking up space.

"So, what's the mission?" He asked her without beating around the bush.

"And, hello to you too,"

"Kyoko…"

"Fine. There's this kid named Naruto who I'm suppose to help find love," She went on to explain the rest of the events to him. "I only called you because this time it didn't say I couldn't use outside help. As long as I, myself, get them together I'm good."

"Then, what do you want me to do?" Neji asked again, slightly wishing that he had never gotten her of all people as a student. She had been, for the most part, dead last in her class, but she had an eagerness to learn that eventually wore him down. She was, at least, sincere in her actions, which was a lot more he could say for other people.

"I don't know. Use your super powers and help me get an absolutely clear shot," She shrugged. "Plus, I need a new girl. I kind of bombed my last hook up. I don't know who I should try next."

"So basically, you want me do your mission for you?"

"It's only bad when you say it like that. You know, I could make you look like the bad guy too, Neji," Neji glowered at [Name]. He didn't say a word because arguing with Kyoko was like suffocating. It only got worse the more you kicked and screamed. He gripped her arm and made them both pop away to Naruto's location.

The two of them ended up following him around the whole school in an attempt to see if there was anyone left for him. Most couples had already chosen each other and there didn't seem to be many girls to fit him. Neji had already gotten tired of Naruto's many antics and Kyoko was right behind him.

"There's not much time left," Neji looked at his watch. Once school was over, Naruto would return home…alone. Technically, Kyoko had until the end of Valentine's Day to find him a match, but it would be much easier if said match was found during the school hours. It was more people to pick and choose from. "The best course of action would be to just pick someone."

"I know, but…I don't want him to just be with somebody. What if they turn out to be completely wrong for him? I don't want his teen years to be full of that much angst," [Name] nibbled at her lower lip again. Sure, the arrow's effects were temporary. The arrow only started the relationship. Whether it went the distance was out of her hands.

"So, what do you want to do? I'm letting you choose the course of action this time," Neji sighed. This was a waste of time. He still had his own missions to complete. He looked at Kyoko's downtrodden expression. Any other person, he would have left already, but Kyoko was turning into a bad growth that couldn't be removed. He wouldn't be able to just abandon her now.

"I'll just have to wait for my wings a little longer. I guess," She replied heartbroken. She smiled grimly at Neji and sniffled. "One more year of taking the bus won't hurt me."

He wasn't going to let her give up this easily. There had to be one more person in the school that would match with Naruto Uzumaki. Kyoko yelped when Neji had quickly fazed her over to Naruto again. He was laughing and joking with a chocolate-eyed girl that had twin buns in her hair. They looked like they were having a good time together.

"It may not be too late," Neji pointed out and Kyoko agreed with him. There was no one around and they were looking right at each other. She readied her bow and aimed at Naruto first. It was an easy shot that completely made its mark. The problem was that there was no reaction. There were no pink sparkles and no heart shaped pupils. Naruto looked completely unfazed. He scratched at his shoulder where the arrow had him and looked around with agitation, but that was it.

Just as soon as it happened, the bell rang to officially end the school day.


	3. Chapter 3

**[A/N]: **Okay, there is like a brief shounen-ai scene at the end of this. It isn't graphic and it doesn't hurt the story if you skip it. I think I forgot to mention that. I put up a little warning box for those who are not into that. It's a brief epilogue after this, but other than that, this is the end thank you for reading!

Thanks to those for following: meredreams and PsychoticSky

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**Part Three**

"But, but…I hit him! What happened!?" She looked at her friend and mentor. Neji closed his eyes and appeared to be in thought. Kyoko waited expectantly for his answer. She was close to shaking one free before he finally spoke again.

"He must have pure feelings for someone already."

"Say what?" This was a surprise to Kyoko. She had never heard of anything like that before.

"You wouldn't know because you have only been on teen cases, but sometimes, usually with adults, there will be two people who are truly meant for each other. If there is already a close bond nearby, then, it can't be broken with a simple arrow. It would take someone on Grandmaster's level to sever it."

"Then, why put me on the case? If he has somebody, I shouldn't be here," Kyoko scowled. She had wasted her time for nothing.

"Because they have not formally gotten together. It would have been registered in the computer," Neji explained. "You still have to get Naruto and the other one to realize their feelings for each other."

"So, it's back to the drawing board…" Kyoko pouted and Neji shimmer out. "Hey, where are you going?"

She looked utterly confused that he would suddenly abandon her. Kyoko looked back at Naruto. The girl had wondered off with some friends and that Sasuke guy was now speaking to Naruto.

"Don't forget, loser, we got detention today. If we don't show up together, she just going to punish us again," He scoffed at Naruto.

"Stupid teme, of course I remembered," Naruto growled and followed after him. Their footsteps receded down the hall which was becoming more and more vacant. Kyoko watched him leave sadly; wondering where her mentor had disappeared to when he suddenly reappeared in front of her. He had a pair of hot red sunglasses that he held out to Kyoko. She put them on and watched her vision turn black and white. The only thing in color was thousands of red strings spreading around like a huge spider's web.

"What is this?" She asked; reaching to pluck a string.

"The Red String of Fate. Two people are connected on either end. If Naruto wasn't affected by the arrow, it's because his string is growing shorter and shorter,"

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning that the person he has the bond with maybe nearby and we can find them by-"

"By following the string! Neji, you're a genius!" Kyoko threw her arms around Neji to hug him close. She squeezed him tight as his muscles tensed before relaxing at the sudden contact. She released him and grabbed his hand. "Let go play matchmaker!"

Neji gave her a coarse smile before shifting them to Naruto. He was standing alone in a supply closet. He had a clipboard in his hand and he was going over the school supply stock. The look on his face spelled boredom as he griped and groaned over being assigned such a boring task. Kyoko approached him with her sunglasses on. She touched the string that was hooked to his pinky finger. Then, she lightly traced over it and began to follow it out the open door. She would just need to get to the other end and all would be fine.

She just didn't think his true match would be so close. Right outside the supply room door, stood Sasuke. He was vigorously scrubbing a desk; probably taking his anger out on it. The other end of the string was tied in a bow around his pinky finger.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that…" Kyoko took the glasses off and looked at Neji, who only shrugged.

"Love comes in all shapes and forms."

"They were pounding each other into the floor this morning."

"Sexual tension?" Neji hypothesized while Kyoko shuddered.

"I never want to hear those words come out of your mouth again…" Kyoko didn't think her psyche could take it. "So, what now?"

"Get them together. I can't assist you with that part," Neji took a step back to give Kyoko her space to figure things out which was going to be a hard task since she couldn't really touch them in her current form and the glamour still wouldn't wear off for a couple of hours. She looked at her bow and arrows. They wouldn't work because the love spell couldn't affect them.

"But, they could still feel them," She thought aloud. She geared her arrows up as Naruto left the supply closet.

"I finished organizing the closet," He told Sasuke, who still had his back turned to him. The young boy didn't say anything. He just kept scrubbing at the desk. "Hey, don't ignore me!"

That is when Kyoko struck. She aimed an arrow at Sasuke's back. It hit hard enough to make the pale faced boy turn around.

_**[Shounen-Ai Alert]**_

"Did you throw something at me?" He asked; anger flaring up in him. Naruto eyes narrowed at the accusation.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything," Naruto made a movement to leave and Kyoko shot another arrow at him this time. Naruto swiftly turned around and now, he was glaring at Sasuke.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Do what, dobe?"

"You know what you did!" When Naruto was about to stalk up the row of desks, Kyoko had taken the time to tie her extra bow string to two adjacent desks; right across his path.

"Well, if something like this worked once," She said as Naruto tripped and went flying in the direction of Sasuke.

"Hey, watch it," Sasuke tried to dodge, but it didn't stop Naruto from toppling on over him. They struggled a bit with Sasuke trying to push Naruto off and Naruto trying to move away. The invisible bow string was making that difficult and he only got more tangled in it. "Get off!"

"I'm trying. Just stop moving for a sec," At last, they had stopped moving. They both were panting heavily; their cheeks glowing red with exhaustion. Naruto was arm's length over Sasuke. The two gazed at each other for a moment when Naruto slowly lowered himself closer to Sasuke; taking his time in case Sasuke decided to hit him. Kyoko, herself, thought the other boy might start a fight again, but he seemed to welcome the kiss with just as much passion as Naruto. Kyoko let out a sigh of relief.

"Success," She celebrated when Neji gave her a congratulatory nod.

"I told you it was probably sex-"

"And, I told you not to say that!" Kyoko quickly interrupted him, but it didn't kill the light mood between them. "Wow, they're really going at it."

Kyoko gaped at the scene in front of her. Naruto was still on top, but Sasuke had grasped his head in his hands to pull him even closer. Kyoko thought she saw some tongue being exchanged between the two. Sasuke let out a small groan as he arched his back a little to let Naruto work his fingers under his shirt. Their session of heavy petting getting more involved as time ticked on.

"It's actually kind of hot…" She whispered as clothes went flying.

"Are you really going to stay and watch this?" Neji gave her a dirty look.

"Neji, this doesn't concern you right now," Kyoko didn't look at him as she spoke. She watched Sasuke wrestle himself on top of a topless Naruto; marking trails of nips and kisses down his neck and chest.

"More like it doesn't concern you. You finished your mission," Neji made a face when he heard more soft pants and moans. It was definitely time for him to go.

"Well, I have to make sure the peace remains," She answered nonchalantly. "Hm, that Sasuke kid is really good with his mouth. It's the uptight ones you got to watch out for. The things they won't do in bed."

"I'm leaving now," Neji opened another vortex to walk out when Kyoko rushed after him.

"Wait, you're my ride home!" She shouted; just barely getting through the vortex as it closed.


	4. Ending

**.:Epilogue:.**

"I got my wings! I got my wings~" Kyoko hovered around Neji as she danced a little jig of happiness. "And, Sasuke and Naruto are still going strong~"

"Good, now leave," Neji had been enjoying a peaceful lunch at home when Kyoko dropped in unannounced. Something she had been doing more of now that she had wings to actually reach his higher standing home.

"Oh, don't be that way. I couldn't have done it without you," She put an arm around his shoulder in a half hug. She leaned her head into the crook of his neck. "Thanks for all the help, Neji."

"That's why I'm doing whatever I can to make it up to you."

"Kyoko, you really don't have to do that," He told her as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Oh, I insist!" She snuggled a bit closer; causing Neji some uneasiness, but Kyoko paid no mind. "I'm going to be around a lot more often."

Neji felt his world shatter and here he thought he was getting rid of her. Apparently, she had made a firm resolve to annoy him to death. He would have to Kyoko-proof his home later.

"Fine, do you plan on letting me go?" He tried to pry her off, but like a python, she only gripped tighter.

"No, I'm quite comfortable here," She chuckled while Neji continued to struggle. "If you say you like having me around, I'll let go."

Neji took a moment to ponder on which was worse. Admit he actually was starting to like having her around or let keep up her embrace? In truth, neither were that bad, but he wasn't ready to say that to her.

"Kyoko…I like…having…you around," The words sounded foreign on his tongue. Kyoko released him slowly and pouted.

"I didn't think you would cave that easily," She sighed now that her fun was wrecked and then, she thought of something else. "That means you really do like having me around!"

She caught Neji off guard as she grabbed him again. This time it was a full hug with Neji's arms instinctively going around her to catch her as she threw herself at him.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He exhaled; though a small smile did grace his features.

**.:The End:.**


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